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A thread about Leon Goretzka's contribution for Bayern this season showing why he is very underrated outside of our fanbase and how he stepped up defensively after Thiago's departure 
First of all I would like to start by saying this is in no way comparing Thiago to Goretzka. Both are extremely different players with both having completely different strengths and weaknesses.
This thread is because after Thiago's departure, many people were wondering whether Goretzka is ready to be a starter alongside Kimmich in midfield.
Also I should add that players that haven't featured a lot for the first team (5 games or less) will not be considered
Also I should add that players that haven't featured a lot for the first team (5 games or less) will not be considered
As the stats related to them are over less minutes so it will mostly be a comparisons with first team regulars
Leon Goretzka ranks 2nd in the Bayern squad in the number of times he applied pressure on an opposition player with 186 pressures; however, Goretzka ranks 1st in the percentage of times these pressures were successful with 41.5%.
Goretzka ranks joint 1st (with Lucas Hernandez) in the numbers of blocks made this season with 27 blocks where 24 of them were blocking passes by the opponent.
At the same time, Goretzka ranks 1st in the numbers of interceptions made between Bayern players players with 17
At the same time, Goretzka ranks 1st in the numbers of interceptions made between Bayern players players with 17
And won the most tackles (21) while being the 2nd most fouled Bayern player in the squad (22 times) which I am very thankful that he isn't injured after knowing 
but which shows that he knows how to draw fouls from the opposition players.
but which shows that he knows how to draw fouls from the opposition players.
Leon completed the 3rd most ball recoveries in the team with 151 ball recoveries as well as won 68.6% of all his aerial duels.
Now in addition to his stats, Goretzka has improved a lot both physically and technically.
While it is no secret that he has bulked up, goretzka has seen a lot of other improvements as well.
While it is no secret that he has bulked up, goretzka has seen a lot of other improvements as well.
If you remember correctly, in many games, and as many bayern fans would label it, Goretzka used to "ghost" Or just not be seen the entire game. However, compare this to rn, Goretzka is literally everywhere as seen by his heatmap in the Bundesliga (via SofaScore)
Another point that is very important to point out is how Hansi Flick was able to get the best out of Goretzka.
Leon used to be known to be able to play at 6, 8 or 10 however, never really performed consistently at 10 nor at 6
Leon used to be known to be able to play at 6, 8 or 10 however, never really performed consistently at 10 nor at 6
Flick has modified Bayern's system to allow him to play as a Box-to-Bix midfielder in a pivot next to Kimmich, Roca, Javi or Tolisso.
However, due to injuries, we've seen Goretzka play as a lone 6 with Musiala dropping deep to help progress the ball up the field
However, due to injuries, we've seen Goretzka play as a lone 6 with Musiala dropping deep to help progress the ball up the field
However, since the corona break, we've seen Goretzka being more stable covering in behind and being able to play as a 6, most notably in the UCL knockout stages where both him and Thiago had to share this position due to Kimmich moving to RB.
Goretzka has come a long way since his move to Bayern, and he definitely has a lot of qualities as well as qualities he still can improve. However, he is nowhere near his full potential yet as the Kimmich-Goretzka pivot is extremely promising and the chemistry between
both players is already very good, and his high stamina allows him to press consistently while also being extremely fast to track back in case of a counter-attack.
We can definitely be very excited with the way he has improved and the way he constantly contributes
We can definitely be very excited with the way he has improved and the way he constantly contributes
To our team without necessarily being on the score sheet.
End of thread and hopefully my bad writing skills weren't too bad
The stats used in this thread are from http://FBref.com
The stats used in this thread are from http://FBref.com
